Saints upset to lose 'field general' A.J. Klein to injured reserve

Updated Dec 20, 2017; Posted Dec 20, 2017

New Orleans Saints outside linebacker A.J. Klein (53) is helped after injury against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Linebacker A.J. Klein's impact with the New Orleans Saints defense this year extended far beyond statistics.

After signing with the Saints as a free agent, Klein quickly earned the respect of his teammates, which is why he became a captain in his first season in New Orleans. And when the defense started to improve in Week 3, it was clear that Klein's ability to quickly diagnose plays was a key factor.

Coach Sean Payton credited Klein for being "half of a step ahead of the play," and Klein's communication contributed significantly to the Saints' defensive turnaround, which has been paramount to the 10-4 record.

Now, as the Saints approach the final two weeks of the regular season and a hopeful playoff run, they'll do so with Klein on injured reserve after he had surgery to repair a sports hernia last week.

"I think he was a big part of our success and our improvement defensively," Payton said. "His makeup, his understanding (of the defense), I think he was running well, real good with key and diagnose, and one of our captains. I think he was a really good addition."

To replace Klein, the Saints will rely more on Manti Te'o in the middle, and the team will hope for weak-side linebacker Craig Robertson to continue providing significant contributions.

But, replacing Klein isn't as easy as putting someone else in his role.

"Being able to have that field general, that guy who can play cat-and-mouse with the quarterback, a lot of defenses don't have that, and that's what A.J. was for us," defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said.

Klein this season had 54 tackles, six for loss, two sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble, but his communication might have been his best contribution.

In last Sunday's game, which Klein missed, Te'o relayed the defensive calls from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, and Robertson helped alter the assignments depending on the offensive looks.

And Te'o feels ready to step into a bigger role.

"I always stayed ready, so it just means that the roles that I was actually preparing for, I'm going to fill those roles and get the action I've been waiting for," he said.

Te'o played regularly this season when the Saints were in their base 4-3 defense. In base, he was the middle linebacker while Klein moved to the strong side, but the Saints' most frequent defensive personnel included just two linebackers and Klein shifting to the middle.

For Te'o, having a part-time role for much of the season allowed him more time to heal from the Achilles tendon injury he suffered last year with the Chargers. And while he's looking forward to the expanded opportunity, he's still upset to see Klein's season end.

"It's tough," he said. "You lose a friend more importantly. It's somebody that you've had in the meeting room, a great personality. It's definitely something that's hard. You just miss him being there."